Copsychus nigricauda
The Kangean Shama (Copsychus nigricauda) is a striking, medium-sized passerine, measuring approximately 20-22 cm in length and weighing around 25-35 grams. Males boast a glossy, iridescent blue-black plumage over their entire body, contrasting sharply with bright white undertail coverts and vent – a key field mark. Females are similar but with a slightly duller, less iridescent black. Taxonomically, it belongs to the Old World Flycatcher and Chat family (Muscicapidae), closely related to othe...
Exclusively found in the lowlands of its island home, the Kangean Shama prefers dense undergrowth, forest edges, secondary growth, and disturbed woodlands, often close to human settlements or agricultural areas.
Their diet is predominantly insectivorous, consisting of beetles, ants, termites, spiders, and other small invertebrates, occasionally supplemented by small fruits or berries.
Kangean Shamas are diurnal, active from dawn until dusk, often seen foraging on or near the ground, but roosting securely in dense vegetation or tree cavities overnight. Their foraging strategy primarily involves gleaning insects from foliage and leaf litter, supplemented by short sallies to catc...
The Kangean Shama is strictly endemic to the Kangean Islands, an archipelago located in the Java Sea, northeast of Bali and East Java, Indonesia. Its entire distribution is confined to these islands, where it is a resident, non-migratory species. There are no known breeding or wintering ranges be...
Vulnerable
- The Kangean Shama is a true island endemic, found nowhere else on Earth but the small Kangean Archipelago. - Despite its entirely black appearance, males possess an iridescent blue-black sheen that is visible in good light. - Its genus name, *Copsychus*, means "blackbird" in Greek, reflecting i...